Jets and the 2006 NFL Draft: How the 'Nick and Brick Era' began

The plan in Mike Tannenbaum’s first draft as the Jets' general manager centered around building the offensive line. Mission accomplished in a major way.

The first round of the 2006 NFL Draft was a home run for Tannenbaum and the Jets. They selected left tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson with the fourth overall pick and center Nick Mangold at 29.

Ferguson, a Freeport product, and Mangold became cornerstones and anchors for some of the most successful teams in franchise history. Both were inducted into the Jets’ Ring of Honor in 2022.

“We had a plan, it was well thought out,” Tannenbaum told Newsday. “We knew what we needed to do and certainly we were fortunate that it turned out that way.”

It’s been 20 years since that pivotal and monumental day in Jets history when the ''Nick and Brick Era'' began.

Tannenbaum, who worked in the Jets' front office from 1997-2012, can vividly recall conversations and meetings he had throughout that draft process. The one resounding theme: The Jets needed to bolster the offensive line.

Chad Pennington and Jay Fiedler suffered season-ending injuries in the same Week 3 game against Jacksonville in 2005. Edge rushers throughout the league, particularly Richard Seymour and Jason Taylor in the AFC East, gave the Jets fits. That couldn’t continue.

“The year before, we lost two quarterbacks in seven snaps,” Tannenbaum said. “We could not block the people in our own division. I remember we had one meeting where we were talking about it. I was like, ‘Look, even if John Elway is in this draft, if we can't protect him, really nothing else matters.’ The consensus view of the building was we were really struggling up front.”

Reggie Bush or Vince Young was expected to go first overall to Houston. The Texans threw a curveball the day before the draft, reaching an agreement with defensive end Mario Williams.

Tannenbaum called Jets first-year coach Eric Mangini to discuss what to do if Bush fell to them at No. 4. They were in agreement: Brick would be the pick.

“We felt like for us, the best thing to do was take D’Brickashaw regardless of if Reggie Bush was there,” Tannenbaum said.

Bush was taken second by New Orleans. Young went third to Tennessee. Linebacker A.J. Hawk (No. 5 overall) and tight end Vernon Davis (No. 6 overall) were in the conversation at No. 4. But the Jets, who were practicing at Hofstra University at the time, stuck to the plan and brought Ferguson home.

“Being in front of the friends and family that I have grown up with, it is just a wonderful situation,” Ferguson, who went to the University of Virginia, said after being drafted. “I always wanted to be part of an organization such as the Jets. Honestly, I don't see any minuses about playing so close to home.”

The Jets weren’t done beefing up the line.

Star center Kevin Mawae signed with Tennessee that offseason, but the Jets found his replacement 25 picks after taking Ferguson. Tannenbaum used the first-round choice he had acquired from Atlanta six weeks earlier on Mangold, a first-team All-American for Ohio State.

“Going into the draft,” Mangold said that day, “I didn't really have any idea of what was going on and who might take a chance on a center in the first round.”

Mangold almost went much higher.

According to Tannenbaum, former Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome called him after the pick and said, “Wow, you’re lucky” that Mangold fell to 29. Newsome told Tannenbaum that Baltimore seriously considered Mangold before taking defensive tackle Haloti Ngata with the No. 12 pick.

The Nick and Brick Era lasted 10 years. Together they started 163 of a possible 167 regular-season and playoff games. Ferguson was an ironman who never missed a game before retiring after the 2015 season. Mangold walked away the following year.

Ferguson made three Pro Bowls. Mangold made seven — the most by a player in the 2006 draft class — and two All-Pro teams. Mangold died last year of complications from  kidney disease. He was 41.

The two had an immediate impact on the Jets. They went from 4-12 the year before to 10-6 and reached the playoffs in 2006 with Pennington playing every game. Ferguson and Mangold were key players on the Jets’ last two playoff teams in 2009 and 2010;  they reached the AFC Championship Game both years.

“Great, great players, better teammates,” Tannenbaum said. “Everything you would want two people in your organization to embody. They had different styles and personalities, but they were both just critically important to a lot of very, very successful teams.”

During the Nick and Brick Era under Rex Ryan, the Jets featured a ''ground-and-pound'' offensive style. They set the franchise rushing record with 2,756 yards in 2009 and were a top 10 rushing team six times from 2008-15.

Three backs surpassed 1,000 yards rushing behind Ferguson and Mangold: Thomas Jones (three times), Shonn Greene (twice) and Chris Ivory (once). Ivory  (2015) was the last Jet to do that until Breece Hall reached that plateau this past season.

“It was definitely an important [draft],” Tannenbaum said. “First one for Coach Mangini and I, and I would just say I was really proud of the process.

“We just said foundationally you really can't win unless you could block them up front. I think their legacy is appropriate: great players, great people and the foundation of a lot of really, really good teams.”